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Bridging the Gaps
Final Report
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Contents
Reflections+on+Bridging+the+Gaps+at+UCL+Sarah+Bell,+Principal+Investigator+..............+4!
Introduction+...........................................................................................................+6!
The!aims!of!Bridging!the!Gaps!......................................................................................................................!6!
Figure'1:'Departmental'links'made'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'funding'.................................'7!
Gathering+feedback+for+Bridging+the+Gaps+..............................................................+8!
Blocks!to!interdisciplinary!working!...........................................................................................................!8!
The!value!of!Crossing!Disciplines!................................................................................................................!9!
In!the!future!..........................................................................................................................................................!9!
The+Open+Programme+..........................................................................................+11!
Figure'2:'Progression'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'“escalator”'for'the'StreetAscale'
Pollution'Modelling'research'.....................................................................................................................'12!
Figure'3:'Progression'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'“escalator”'for'the'Open'Source'
Resource'Modelling'research'.....................................................................................................................'13!
Table'1:'Successful'applications'to'the'Open'Programme'............................................................'14!
Staff+Exchange+......................................................................................................+15!
Table'2:'The'successful'application'to'the'Staff'Exchange'Programme'.................................'15!
Sandpits+...............................................................................................................+16!
Figure'5:'Generating'talking'points'........................................................................................................'16!
Figure'6:'Finding'common'themes'..........................................................................................................'16!
Sandpit!2009!......................................................................................................................................................!17!
Table'3:'Successful'projects'and'groups'from'the'sustainability'and'nanotechnology'
sandpit'.................................................................................................................................................................'18!
Figure'7:'Progression'through'the'"escalator"'of'the'Nanostructures'for'Water'
Treatment'project'...........................................................................................................................................'19!
Sandpit!2010!......................................................................................................................................................!20!
Table'4:'Successful'projects'and'groups'from'the'sustainability'and'nanotechnology'
sandpit'.................................................................................................................................................................'21!
MSc+Competition+..................................................................................................+22!
MSc!Competition!2008!..................................................................................................................................!22!
Table'5:'MSc'competition'winners'from'the'2008'competition'..................................................'22!
MSc!Competition!2009!..................................................................................................................................!23!
Table'6:'MSc'competition'winners'from'the'2009'competition'..................................................'23!
Escalator+Fund+......................................................................................................+24!
Figure'8:'The'role'of'the'Escalator'Fund'in'the'Bridging'the'Gaps'"escalator"'model'.....'24!
First!Escalator!Fund!.......................................................................................................................................!25!
Table'7:'Research'funded'under'the'first'Escalator'fund'..............................................................'25!
Second!Escalator!Fund!..................................................................................................................................!26!
Table'8:'Research'funded'under'the'second'Escalator'fund'........................................................'26!
Grant+Writing+Support+..........................................................................................+27!
Table'9:'Grant'application'titles'supported'by'the'Grant'Writing'Scheme'...........................'27!
Seminar+Funding+..................................................................................................+29!
Megalopolis!series!...........................................................................................................................................!29!
Open!call!for!seminars!...................................................................................................................................!30!
Table'10:'Successful'applications'to'the'Seminar'Funding'Programme'................................'30!
Visiting+Scholar+.....................................................................................................+31!
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Table'11:'The'successful'application'to'the'Staff'Exchange'Programme'...............................'31!
Website+................................................................................................................+32!
Figure'9:'Front'page'of'the'Bridging'the'Gaps'website'..................................................................'32!
Events+..................................................................................................................+33!
Launch!event!.....................................................................................................................................................!33!
First!Year!Review!.............................................................................................................................................!33!
Figure'10:'Examples'of'posters'from'the'first'year'review'...........................................................'33!
Final!Event!..........................................................................................................................................................!34!
Champions+network+.............................................................................................+35!
Figure'11:'A'list'of'champions'was'available'to'anyone'with'a'UCL'username'and'
password'.............................................................................................................................................................'35!
Champions’+Events+...............................................................................................+36!
Figure'12: One'of'the'champions'experiencing'an'immersive'3D'environment'in'the'
Computer'Science'CAVE'...............................................................................................................................'36!
Figure'13:'Demonstration'of'a'model'to'study'ballast'tank'flushing'in'the'Pat'Kemp'
Fluids'Laboratory'...........................................................................................................................................'36!
Figure'14:'Testing'a'catalyst'in'the'Centre'for'CO2'Technology,'Chemical'Engineering'.'36!
The+Bridging+the+Gaps+Team+.................................................................................+38!
Principal!Investigator!....................................................................................................................................!38!
CoQInvestigators!...............................................................................................................................................!38!
Programme!Manager!.....................................................................................................................................!38!
Contacting!Bridging!the!Gaps!.....................................................................................................................!38!
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Reflections on Bridging the Gaps at UCL
Sarah Bell, Principal Investigator
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Air! pollution,! poverty! alleviation,!
renewable! energy,! water! resource!
management,! traffic! congestion,! over!
population,!
public!
engagement,!
climate!change,!accessibility,!materials!
recovery,!energy!efficiency…!!
…! the! list! goes! on.! Problems! in! urban!
sustainability! abound.! Solutions! are!
harder! to! find! and! even! more! difficult!
to!implement.!Many!of!these!problems!
have! grown! out! of! the! gaps! between!
academic! disciplines.! Standing! in! our!
distinct!
disciplinary!
territories!
researchers! have! become! skilled! at!
breaking! down! problems! to! suit! our!
particular! tools! of! analysis,! but! our!
capacity! to! work! together! to! find!
solutions!has!been!spectacularly!inadequate.!!
The!need!for!interdisciplinary!research!and!practice!in!urban!sustainability!has!
been! recognised! since! the! earliest! years! of! the! environmental! movement.!
Research!councils!have!made!significant!efforts!to!fund!interdisciplinary!projects!
and! programmes! in! urban! sustainability! and! other! fields.! Creating! new!
knowledge!that!fundamentally!addresses!the!nature!of!the!problem!rather!than!
reflecting!the!names!of!university!departments!has!proved!more!difficult!than!it!
seemed! it! should.! Interdisciplinary! work! is! much! harder! than! simply! bringing!
together! scientists! and! scholars! with! complementary! expertise.! The! barriers! to!
interdisciplinary!work!are!philosophical,!methodological,!managerial!and!social.!
The! EPSRC! Bridging! the! Gaps! programme! is! an! important! opportunity! for!
universities!to!start!to!address!some!of!these!barriers,!and!at!UCL!has!provided!
opportunities!for!63!researchers!to!engage!in!truly!novel!research!partnerships!
that!address!the!problems!of!urban!sustainability.!!!!
The! research! community! at! UCL! possesses! tremendous! enthusiasm! and!
commitment! for! building! new! ways! of! working! to! solve! some! of! the! greatest!
challenges!of!our!time.!Sustainable!Cities!is!one!of!our!Grand!Challenges!and!has!
underpinned!our!work!in!Bridging!the!Gaps:!Sustainable!Urban!Spaces.!!
The! diversity! of! projects! funding! by! Bridging! the! Gaps! has! been! astonishing.!
Personal! energy! monitoring,! disabled! children’s! access! to! cities! in! India,!
hydrogen!fuel!cells,!statistical!modelling!of!urban!air!pollution,!nanotechnology!
for! water! treatment,! mapping! green! spaces! in! marginalised! communities! in!
London,! and! the! use! of! slime! moulds! as! building! monitoring! sensors! are! but! a!
few!examples!of!the!work!Bridging!the!Gaps!has!supported!at!UCL!over!the!past!
three! years.! Our! programme! has! demonstrated! the! catalytic! potential! of!
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providing! relatively! small! amounts! of! money! to! highly! motivated! and! capable!
researchers!in!a!rich!and!supportive!interdisciplinary!environment.!
Urban!sustainability!research!can!at!times!be!a!depressing!enterprise.!So!many!
problems,!so!few!solutions.!All!of!the!projects!funded!under!Bridging!the!Gaps!at!
UCL!address!an!important!problem!of!urban!sustainability!from!a!fundamentally!
interdisciplinary! perspective.! Managing! the! programme! with! James! Paskins,!
Muki! Haklay,! Ben! Croxford! and! Simon! Julier! has! been! a! humbling! and! mind!
boggling! experience.! It! has! also! been! a! lot! of! fun.! The! programme! has! helped!
many! of! our! colleagues! take! those! first! timid! steps! along! the! long! road! to! new!
and! productive! research! territories,! towards! solutions! to! some! of! the! greatest!
challenges!of!our!time.!I!am!hopeful!that!many!of!the!partnerships!started!over!
the!last!three!years!will!soon!be!leading!research!communities!with!knowledge!
about! both! the! nature! of! solutions! to! urban! sustainability! and! how! to! go! about!
finding!them.!
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Introduction
Bridging! the! Gaps:! Sustainable! Urban! Spaces! was! a! threeQyear! EPSRC!
(Engineering!and!Physical!Sciences!Council)!funded!programme.!It!had!the!main!
aim! of! encouraging! interdisciplinary! research! collaborations! into! urban!
sustainability!at!UCL.!
More!details!about!all!of!the!activities!described!will!be!available!on!the!Bridging!
the!Gaps!website,!www.ucl.ac.uk/btg.!
The aims of Bridging the Gaps
The! core! principles! of! Bridging! the!
Gaps! at! UCL! were! a! commitment! to!
supporting! new! interdisciplinary!
research! collaborations! within! the!
university,!
funding!
innovative!
approaches! to! sustainability! research!
and! a! focus! on! involving! early! career!
researchers.!
Key facts
• Bridging the gaps has awarded over
£245,000 in funding
• Applications were submitted from 26
departments or centres in 6 faculties
• Funding was given to 54 collaborations
The!programme!ensured!that!it!funded!
between departments
interdisciplinary!collaborations!by!
• Bridging the Gaps has given 63
requiring!that!each!proposal!identified!
academics the chance to test their ideas
a!lead!applicant!and!a!main!
and new research partnerships!
collaborator!who!came!from!different!
department!departments!at!UCL!(except!in!a!few!cases,!such!as!the!Conference'
Fund,!where!applicants!did!not!require!a!collaborator).!A!further!condition,!
designed!to!promote!new!collaborations,!was!that!the!lead!applicant!and!main!
collaborator!could!not!have!been!funded!together!on!a!previous!grant!from!an!
external!funder.!The!balance!between!the!contributions!of!the!collaborators!was!
also!an!important!factor!in!the!assessment,!with!a!preference!for!collaborations!
that!relied!on!both!applicants’!areas!of!expertise.!
Both! lead! applicant! and! main! collaborator! were! required! to! hold! permanent!
academic! positions! in! UCL,! this! condition! was! put! in! place! to! ensure! that! they!
were! eligible! to! apply! for! future! funding! from! an! external! body,! such! as! a!
research!council.!
The! commitment! to! supporting! early! career! researchers! was! ensured! by!
including!a!requirement!that!Professors!could!not!lead!research!collaborations.!
Professors! were,! however,! welcome! as! collaborators,! and! this! has! indeed! been!
the!case!in!some!of!our!collaborations.!
Initially! Bridging! the! Gaps! was! aimed! at! the! three! faculties! that! make! up! the!
BEAMS!school!at!UCL:!The!Bartlett!School!of!the!Built!Environment;!Engineering;!
and! Mathematics! and! Physical! Sciences.! As! these! three! faculties! contain! the!
departments! that! most! obviously! fall! within! the! EPSRC! remit.! However,! there!
was! no! bar! on! applications! from! other! departments,! and! all! the! funding!
opportunities!were!advertised!on!a!university!wide!basis.!!
It!can!be!seen!from!the!figure!below,!that!the!funded!collaborations!brought!in!
departments!from!other!faculties!at!UCL.!
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Figure'1:'Departmental'links'made'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'funding'
The! diagram! above! shows! how! different! departments! at! UCL! have! been! linked!
through! Bridging! the! Gaps! funding.! Only! collaborations! that! received! direct!
funding!through!one!of!our!calls!are!shown!above.!
The! chart! above! does! not! show! any! of! the! links! that! were! made! through! the!
champions! network,! or! between! the! people! who! attended! events! that! were!
funded! by! our! Seminar! Funding! or! Visiting! Scholar! awards.! These! events!
appealed! to,! and! attracted,! large! audiences! from! many! different! departments.!
The! events! funded! by! the! Seminar! Funding! call! were! designed! to! encourage!
interdisciplinary! discussion! on! sustainability! topics.! For! example,! the!
Megalopolis! and! Sustainability! seminar! series! brought! academics! from! a! broad!
range! of! disciplines,! representing! 26! UCL! departments! or! centres,! as! well! as! a!
number! of! visitors! to! UCL.! The! seminar! series! consisted! of! 18! hours! of!
presentations!and!discussion!of!a!range!of!cross!cutting!themes.!
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Gathering feedback for Bridging the Gaps
We! were! interested! in! how! well! Bridging! the! Gaps! had! been! received! and! how!
effective! it! had! been! in! fostering! interdisciplinary! collaborations.! It! was! clear!
that! some! participants! were! absolute! newcomers! to! crossQdisciplinary!
collaboration,!while!others!see!it!as!an!absolute!necessity!for!their!research!area.!
“It!is!essential!to!work!with!other!departments!as!most!of!the!research!
topics!involve!multiQdisciplinary!collaboration…”!(LC)!
In!general!the!programme!participants!found!the!process!of!crossQdisciplinary!to!
be!positive.!
“Collaboration!across!disciplines!and!departments!is!most!of!the!time!
very! fruitful! as! it! provides! you! with! an! opportunity! to! complement!
skills!and!knowledge.”!(PH)!
Most!participants!felt!that!this!style!of!working!was!already!necessary,!or!soon!
would!be.!
“it! is! inevitable! that! more! cross! disciplinary! interaction! is! going! to!
have!to!take!place.”!(RB)!
In!almost!all!cases!the!participants!had!not!made!a!previous!attempt!to!get!
funding!for!their!research!idea.!In!many!cases!this!is!because!the!idea!had!
not!existed!in!that!form!before!a!Bridging!the!Gaps!call.!
In!some!cases!Bridging!the!Gaps!funding,!or!an!activity!run!by!Bridging!the!Gaps!
was!essential!to!starting!the!collaboration.!For!instance,!JT!thought!that!his!
collaboration!involving!nanostructured!catalysts!“would!have!been!very!difficult!
without![the!Bridging!the!Gaps!sandpit]”.!More!simply!NK!told!us!that!“The!
entire!project!would!not!have!been!possible!without!Bridging!the!Gaps!funding”.!
Blocks to interdisciplinary working
Many! participants! noted! factors! that! blocked! effective! crossQdisciplinary!
working.! Time! and! money! were! both! mentioned.! The! time! required! for! cross!
disciplinary! working! was! usually! in! addition! to! the! participant’s! day! to! day!
duties.!!
“crossQdisciplinary!working!can!be!very!time!consuming”!(NK)!
“Researchers! may! spend! time! transferring! knowledge! to! crossQ
disciplinary!colleagues!...!with!no!immediate!benefit.”!(KJ)!
It! was! also! felt! by! many! that! it! would! be! difficult! to! secure! significant! external!
funding!for!their!crossQdisciplinary!research!ideas,!as!grant!applications!put!the!
applicant!in!doubleQjeopardy!situation,!having!to!convince!two!or!more!research!
communities!of!the!importance!of!the!work.!
“despite! [pushing]! for! more! of! it! ...! the! research! council! peer! review!
system!hasn't!entirely!caught!up!with!the!reality!of!crossQdisciplinary!
research.”!(RC)!
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However,! participants! saw! that! for! the! right! problem! the! benefits! brought! by!
working!across!disciplines!outweigh!the!complexities.!!
The value of Crossing Disciplines
Most! respondents! described! the! importance! of! taking! a! crossQdisciplinary!
approach! to! their! research.! For! instance,! one! research! project! required!
theoretical! understanding! of! both! chemical! engineering! and! nanoQscale!
processes!related!to!energy!conversion.!
The! reasons! for! seeking! crossQdisciplinary! collaboration! include! a! lack! of!
equipment!or!expertise!one!department:!
“Energy! efficiency! is! a! function! of! many! factors! not! studied! in!
computer!science!departments”!(KJ)!
“it!allowed!us!to!bring!in!...!staff!from!other!departments![with]!skills!
that!we!would!have!been!unable!to!provide!ourselves”!(PH)!
“Positive! value! …! access! to! laboratory! facilities! to! use! specialist!
equipment”!(LC)!
As!well!as!bringing!in!expertise,!the!collaboration!was!also!seen!as!an!
opportunity!for!the!participants!to!learn!about!different!academic!areas!and!pick!
up!new!skills.!!
In the future
In! general! respondents! reported! that! as! a! result! of! Bridging! the! Gaps! funding!
they!were!more!likely!to!apply!for!external!grant!funding!for!crossQdisciplinary!
work,!or!that!they!had!previously!been!active!or!interested!in!applying!for!crossQ
disciplinary!research!funding.!
An!example!of!the!latter!response!comes!from!PH,!“[crossQdisciplinary!working]!
was! already! part! of! my! working! practice”,! however,! involvement! in! the!
programme! has! made! her! “think! a! bit! more! about! crossQdisciplinary! research!
with!other!people!at!UCL.”.!
CrossQdisciplinary! working! also! introduces! participants! to! different! ways! of!
working,! “I! liked! the! straightforward! way! physical! scientists! approach! things”!
(NK).!
In!some!cases!Bridging!the!Gaps!involvement!is!leading!directly!to!an!application!
for!a!larger!fund.!LC,!for!instance,!has!found!that!Bridging!the!Gaps!“is!helping!us!
to!get!some!preliminary!results!that!can!support![an!application!to]!a!larger!fund!
such!as!FPQ7!or!EPSRC.”!
As!well!as!creating!new!ideas!for!research!grant!applications,!crossQdisciplinary!
research!was!also!seen!as!an!opportunity!to!expand!the!audience!and!the!impact!
of!their!research.!
It!has!become!clear!during!the!course!of!the!programme!that!crossQdisciplinary!
working!is!seen!as!the!future,!or!indeed!the!present,!for!many!of!the!participants.!
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It! is! also! clear! that! crossQdisciplinary! working! presents! challenges! beyond! the!
usual!responsibilities!of!an!academic!staff!member.!
At!its!best,!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!programme,!has!allowed!researchers!to!take!a!
more! problemQfocused! approach! to! the! urban! sustainability! issues.! It! has! done!
this! by! overcoming! the! barriers! associated! with! crossing! disciplines,! and!
allowing!intelligent!people,!with!different!skills,!to!focus!on!the!same!problem.!
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The Open Programme
The!Open!Programme!provided!small!grants!to!initiate!novel!research!
collaborations.!The!first!round!of!awards!were!up!to!£1,000,!after!a!review!of!the!
programme!at!the!end!of!the!first!year,!the!limit!for!awards!was!increased!to!
£2,000.!!
In!order!to!receive!funding!the!planned!research!had!to!take!a!novel,!crossQ
disciplinary,!approach!to!an!urban!sustainability!problem.!Preference!was!given!
to!entirely!new!collaborations!between!applicants,!in!addition!to!the!
requirement!that!applicants!should!not!have!been!funded!together!on!a!previous!
research!grant.!
Awards!were!made!to!support!activities!as!diverse!as!running!a!conference!
session!on!environmental!crime,!visiting!!
The!Open!programme!was!the!first!step!on!a!funding!escalator!for!a!number!of!
participants!in!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!programme.!
Liora!MalkiQEpshtein!(Civil!and!Environmental!Engineering) and!Serge!Guillas!
(Statistical!Science),!who!became!one!of!our!most!successful!researcher!pairings,!
began!their!work!together!with!a!£1,000!award!to!begin!work!on!“Novel'
approaches'to'streetAscale'pollution'dispersion'modelling'through'the'integration'
of'advanced'statistical'methods'with'environmental'fluid'modelling”,!work!which!
was!continued!with!a!Staff!Exchange!award!and!two!Escalator!Fund!awards.!
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Open!Programme!
• Novel!approaches!to!streetQscale!pollution!dispersion!
modelling!through!the!integration!of!advanced!statistical!
methods!with!environmental!nluid!modelling!!
Staff!Exchange!
• Calibration!of!environmental!nluid!modelling!for!StreetQscale!
pollution!dispersion!
First!Escalator!Fund!
• Enhanced!laboratory!experiments!and!nield!study!for!streetQ
scale!pollution!dispersion!modelling!
Conference!Fund!
• 12th!International!Building!Performance!Simulation!Conference!
in!2011!
Second!Escalator!Fund!
• Calibration!of!CFD!simulation!of!an!urban!street!canyon!using!
experimental!PIV!observations!
!
Figure'2:'Progression'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'“escalator”'for'the'Street?scale'Pollution'Modelling'
research'
Another!successful!collaboration,!between!Julien!Harou!(Departmetnt!of!Civil!
and!Environmental!Engineering)!and!Lazaros!Papageorgiou!(Chemical!
Engineering)!began!their!work!on!resource!modelling!using!open!source!tools!
with!the!Open!Programme!award'“Building'a'system'schematic'and'simulation'
model'of'the'London'water'supply'and'its'dependence'on'the'Thames'Basin”!to!use!
Hydroplatform!develop!a!Simulation!Model!for!the!London!water!supply.!
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Open!Programme!
• Building!a!system!schematic!and!simulation!model!of!the!London!
water!supply!and!its!dependence!on!the!Thames!Basin!
First!Escalator!Fund!
• Building!a!system!schematic!and!simulation!model!of!the!London!
water!supply!and!its!dependence!on!the!Thames!Basin!
Conference!Fund!
• International!Congress!on!Environmental!Modelling!and!Software!
July!5!Q!8!2010,!Ottawa,!Ontario,!Canada!!
Second!Escalator!Fund!
• Adapting!UK!water!resource!systems!to!changing!conditions!Q!
Building!a!foundation!for!UCLQEnvironment!Agency!Collaboration!
!
Figure'3:'Progression'through'Bridging'the'Gaps'“escalator”'for'the'Open'Source'Resource'Modelling'
research'
'
Table!1!shows!all!the!successful!applications!to!the!Open!Programme.!Research!
in!the!open!programme!covered!topics!as!diverse!as!slime!mould!in!architecture!
and!disability!in!Indian!slums.!
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Table'1:'Successful'applications'to'the'Open'Programme'
1
2
Novel approaches to street-scale pollution dispersion modelling through
the integration of advanced statistical methods with environmental fluid
modelling.
Liora Malki-Epshtein
Serge Guillas
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Statistical Science
Children, disabilities and well-being: a preliminary research in India
Alexandre Apsan
Frediani
Jean Francoise Trani
Development Planning Unit
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
£996.80
Leonard Cheshire Disability and
Inclusive Development Centre
£1,000
National Environmental Crime Conference
Hervé Borrion
Michael Emes
Centre for Security and Crime
Science
Centre for Systems Engineering
£500
Natural ventilation for greener and healthier buildings
Dejan Mumovic
Kaman Lai
Bartlett School of Graduate
Studies
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
£1,000
Investigating the potential of the slime mould organism [Physarium
polycephalum] as an architectural-biological sensor and indicator of
environmental change
Rachel Armstrong
Sylvia Nagl
Bartlett School of Architecture
The Cancer Institute
£1,000
Building a system schematic and simulation model of the London water
supply and its dependence on the Thames Basin
Julien Harou
Lazaros Papageorgiou
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Chemical Engineering
£2,000
Questioning the sustainability of post-industrial urban landscapes
Quentin Stevens
Matthew Gandy
Bartlett School of Planning
Geography
£1,861
UCL!DRR!Conference
Camillo Boano
Catherine Lowe
Development Planning Unit
Geography
£2,000
Community!Mapping!in!Hackney:!Community!use!and!appropriation!of!
Hackney!Marsh,!London
Pascale Hofmann
Muki Haklay
Development Planning Unit
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
£1897
Geographical!Perspectives!on!Planning!the!Sustainable!City
Andrew Harris
Susan Moore
Geography
Bartlett School of Planning
£1765
SafeSoil!Q!Preliminary!Investigations
Julia Stegemann
Nikos Karadimitriou
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Bartlett School of Planning
£1897
The!UCL!Electrochemical!Innovation!Lab!and!Network
Dan Brett
Xiao Guo
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
£2000
£!17,916.80
!
14!
!
Staff Exchange
As!a!result!of!the!previous!funding!for!the!Open!Programme!"Novel'approaches'to'
streetAscale' pollution' dispersion' modelling' through' the' integration' of' advanced'
statistical'methods'with'environmental'fluid'modelling",!a!scientific!collaboration!
was! started! between! Serge! Guillas! and! Liora! MalkiQEpshtein.! The! funding!
enabled! a! series! of! water! tunnel! experiments! for! which! Serge! Guillas! was!
involved!at!the!stage!of!the!design!of!lab!experiments!and!in!the!analysis!of!the!
measurement!uncertainties.!
Table'2:'The'successful'application'to'the'Staff'Exchange'Programme'
Calibration of environmental fluid modelling for Street-scale pollution
dispersion
Serge Guillas
Liora Malki-Epshtein
Statistical Science
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
£3,000
2008
£3,000
!
A! student! was! coQmentored! by! Serge! Guillas! and! Liora! MalkiQEpshtein! in! the!
summer! of! 2008.! This! produced! reliable! measurements! of! speed! flow! in! an!
idealized! street! canyon! containing! a! car.! Good! estimates! were! obtained! of! the!
speed!flow!and!their!corresponding!uncertainties!at!any!location!using!a!spatial!
statistical!prediction!method!(Kriging).!
The! Staff! Exchange! programme! has! allowed! the! collaborators! to! build! on! their!
previous!work.!The!funding!was!used!to!buy!out!some!of!Serge!Guillas’s!teaching!
time,!allowing!him!to!work!with!Liora!MalkiQEpshtein.!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
15!
!
Sandpits
Bridging! the! Gaps! held! two! sandpits! that! encouraged! researchers! to! consider!
sustainability! challenges! and! propose! how! they! could! be! tackled! with! novel!
applications! of! leading! edge!
technologies.! In! 2009! the!
chosen! area! was! nanoscience!
and! nanotechnology,! in! 2010!
networked!sensors!were!chosen!
as!the!technology.!
Each! sandpit! event! was! held!
over! two! days,! including! an!
overnight! stay,! at! a! hotel! in!
Greenwich.! The! venue! was!
chosen!to!be!close!enough!to!be!
convenient! for! participants,! but!
far! enough! away! so! that! they! were! removed! from! their! usual! UCL! routine! and!
could!give!full!attention!to!the!sandpit.!
Figure'4:'The'venue'near'Greenwich'Park'was'close'
enough'to'be'convenient,'but'allowed'participants'to'
concentrate'on'the'sandpit'
Figure'5:'Generating'talking'points'
!
Figure'6:'Finding'common'themes'
!
!
The! aim! of! the! sandpits! were! to! produce! research! partnerships! that! were! both!
interdisciplinary!and!collaborative,!bringing!academics!with!a!knowledge!of!the!
sustainability! challenges! together! with! academics! who! had! a! knowledge! of! the!
potential!solutions.!
The! sandpits! were! interactive! workshops! that! allowed! those! with! a! knowledge!
of!the!sustainability!challenges!and!those!with!a!knowledge!of!the!technologies!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
16!
!
and! processes! made! possible! by! nanotechnology,! to! share! ideas,! identify!
pressing! challenges! and! start! thinking! about! applying! the! appropriate!
technologies.!
The! sandpits! were! designed! and! run! with! the! assistance! of! Andrew! Clark! and!
Katie! Finch,! Research! Facilitators! for! the! BEAMS! School! (the! BEAMS! School! is!
comprised! of! the! Bartlett,! Engineering,! and! Mathematics! and! Physical! Sciences!
faculties).!The!sandpits!were!based!on!an!EPSRC!sandpit,!but!modified!to!fit!into!
the!two!days!available.!
All! recipients! of! Sandpit! funding! have! agreed! to! produce! reports! covering! the!
results! of! the! research.! All! feedback! reports! will! be! made! available! on! the!
programme’s!website!at!www.ucl.ac.uk/btg.!
!
Sandpit 2009
Little'Green'Things:'Nanotechnology'for'Sustainability'Challenges'
The!first!sandpit!took!place!in!February!2009!and!had!the!theme!of!sustainability!
and!nanotechnology.!!
The! aim! was! to! produce! research! partnerships! that! were! interdisciplinary! and!
collaborative,! bringing! academics! with! a! knowledge! of! the! sustainability!
challenges! together! with! academics! who! had! a! knowledge! of! the! potential!
nanotechnology! solutions.! The! sandpit! was! originally! advertised! with! a! fund! of!
£20,000! to! support! research! collaborations,! but! this! was! increased! to! £30,000!
(utilising! money! that! had! not! been! spent! under! other! programmes! during! the!
first!year).!!
The! sandpit! topic! was! chosen! ahead! of! the! EPSRC! launching! its! third! grand!
challenge!in!nanotechnology.!At!the!time!it!had!been!announced!that!the!EPSRC!
would! be! seeking! proposals! that! focused! on! nanotechnology! and! the!
environment,! and! it! was! felt! that! an! added! benefit! of! the! sandpit! would! be! to!
place!the!participants!in!a!better!position!for!this!EPSRC!funding.!
The!sandpit!was!an!interactive!workshop!that!allowed!those!with!a!knowledge!of!
the!sustainability!challenges!and!those!with!a!knowledge!of!the!technologies!and!
processes! made! possible! by! nanotechnology,! to! share! ideas,! identify! pressing!
challenges!and!start!thinking!about!applying!the!appropriate!technologies.!
We!had!a!good!response!from!academics!across!UCL,!including!members!of!the!
LCN!(London!Centre!for!Nanotechnology).!!
Prior! to! the! main! event! we! ran! a! preQsandpit! briefing! session,! the! briefing!
consisted! of! presentations! that! covered! the! basics! in! sustainability! and!
nanotechnology!from!two!leaders!in!those!fields,!Sarah!Bell!(Senior!Lecturer!in!
Civil,! Environmental! and! Geomatic! Engineering! and! CoQDirector! of! the!
Environment! Institute)! and! Gabriel! Aeppli! (Quain! Professor! of! Physics! and! the!
Director! of! the! London! Centre! for! Nanotechnology).! Videos! of! the! preQsandpit!
briefing!session!are!available!on!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!website.!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
17!
!
The!titles!and!team!members!for!the!successful!research!projects!are!given!in!the!
table!on!the!following!page.!The!name!of!the!lead!on!each!project!is!given!on!the!
left,!with!coQinvestigators!being!listed!on!the!left.!
Table'3:'Successful'projects'and'groups'from'the'sustainability'and'nanotechnology'sandpit'
1
Modelling how nano-scale processes relate to macroscale function
Alexandra
Luca Mazzei
Olaya-Castro Chemical Engineering
£15,000
2009
Alexandra Porter
Physics and
Astronomy
2
London Centre for Nanotechnology
Duracoat: Using nanoscience to protect wood
Nikos
Mihaly Foldvari
Karadimitriou Genetics, Evolution and Environment
Alexandra Olaya-Castro
Bartlett School
of Planning
Physics and Astronomy
£5,000
2009
£5,000
2009
Matija Strlic
Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
3
Pseudo-Living Material Modification
Rachel Armstrong
Matija Strlic
Bartlett School
of Graduate
Studies
Bartlett School of Architecture
Luca Mazzei
Chemical Engineering
Amir Servati
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Jinghao Xue
Statistical Science
4
Novel Nanostructures for Water Purification & Treatment
Felicity
Khashayar Ghaffarzadeh
London Centre for Nanotechnology
Sartain
Arokia Nathan*
Bio Nano
Consulting
London Centre for Nanotechnology
Amir Servati
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
£5,000
2009
Matija Strlic
Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
Luiza Campos
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
£30,000
*For!funding!purposes!Arokia!Nathan!has!been!identified!as!Principal!investigator!for!this!project!by!Research!Finance.!
!
The! nanotechnology! sandpit! produced! a! very! successful! research! collaboration!
between! Luiza! Campos! (Civil! and! Environmental! Engineering)! and! Arokia!
Nathan! (London! Centre! for! Nanotechnology).! The! initial! research! idea! was! to!
develop! novel! nano! metalQoxide! structures! to! purify! water,! by! removing!
compounds! that! are! not! removed! by! conventional! treatment! processes,!
including! natural! organic! matter! (NOM)! and! synthetic! organic! microQ
contaminants! such! as! hydrocarbons,! PCB's,! and! pesticides.! The! matching! of! a!
sustainability! challenge,! ensuring! clean,! drinkable! water,! and! a! technolgy,!
filtration! using! novel! material! combined! with! photocatalysis,! was! developed!
during! the! sandpit.! The! research! idea! was! developed! with! the! help! of! funding!
from!two!escalator!awards.!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
18!
!
Sandpit!
• Novel!Nanostructures!for!Water!Purinication!&!Treatment!
First!Escalator!Fund!
• Novel!Nanostructures!for!Water!Purinication!&!Treatment!
Second!Escalator!Fund!
• Novel!Nanostructures!for!Water!Purinication!&!Treatment!(2)!
!
Figure'7:'Progression'through'the'"escalator"'of'the'Nanostructures'for'Water'Treatment'project'
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
19!
!
Sandpit 2010
Sense'and'Sustainability:'Networked'Sensors'for'the'Urban'Environment'
The! second! sandpit! took! place! in! May! 2010! and! took! the! theme! of! networked!
sensors!for!sustainability.!!
As! with! the! first! sandpit,! the! aim! was! to! produce! interdisciplinary! and!
collaborative! research! collaborations.! Matching! academics! with! a! knowledge! of!
the!sustainability!challenges!and!academics!with!a!knowledge!of!the!networked!
sensors! and! data! handling.! The! sandpit! was! advertised! with! a! fund! of! £30,000,!
matching!the!first!sandpit.!
The! second! sandpit! session! included! a! feedback! session! for! participants.! Some!
improvements! were! suggested:! it! was! felt! the! sandpit! should! have! had! wider!
publicity,! and! that! more! time! should! have! been! dedicated! to! the! open! space!
element,!the!part!of!the!sandpit!where!participants!were!free!to!share!ideas!and!
suggest! areas! for! research.! The! feedback! session! also! revealed! that! overall! the!
event,!especially!the!chance!to!meet!and!share!ideas!with!other!researchers,!was!
highly! valued! by! the! participants.! Overall,! the! participants! reported! that! the!
sandpit!was!a!useful!and!enjoyable!experience.!
The!titles!of!and!team!members!for!the!successful!research!projects!are!given!in!
the!table!on!the!following!page.!The!name!of!the!lead!on!each!project!is!given!on!
the!left,!with!coQinvestigators!being!listed!on!the!left.!
'
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
20!
!
Table'4:'Successful'projects'and'groups'from'the'sustainability'and'nanotechnology'sandpit'
1
What's my energy footprint?
John Mitchell
Kyle Jamieson
Electronic and
Electrical
Engineering
Computer Science
Renzo De Nardi
Computer Science
Dietmar Backes
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
£10,000
2010
Paul Greening
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Muki Haklay
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
2
Spatio-temporal description of air quality with mobile and static arrays
of MOS sensors
Serge Guillas
Russell Binions
Statistical
Science
Chemistry
Venus Shum
Computer Science
£8,000
2010
£8,000
2010
Daren Caruana
Chemistry
3
Energy Efficiency for the Computer Cloud
Kyle
Jamieson
Computer
Science
Muki Haklay
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
John Mitchell
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Venus Shum
Computer
4
Wireless Sensor Networks for Energy Efficiency in Historic Properties
Irina Spulber
Kyle Jamieson
Bartlett School
of Graduate
Studies
Computer Science
Muki Haklay
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
£4,000
2010
Venus Shum
Computer Science
£30,000
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
!
21!
!
MSc Competition
The! MSc! competition! offers! funding! for! a! pair! of! academics! to! coQsupervise! an!
MSc! student.! It! was! suggested! that! the! awards! (£6,000! for! each! pair! of!
supervisors)!were!used!to!pay!a!student’s!course!fees,!with!any!excess!being!paid!
as!a!stipend,!however,!it!was!left!to!the!supervisor’s!discretion!how!the!money!
was! spent.! The! competition! aims! to! build! interdisciplinary! links! between!
supervisors,!and!introduce!MSc!students!to!interdisciplinary!research.!
The! applicants! were! asked! to! identify! an! area! of! urban! sustainability! research!
that! crosses! disciplines,! has! the! potential! to! produce! new! findings,! and! can!
investigated!in!a!project!suitable!for!an!MSc!student.!The!award!was!intended!to!
allow! the! academics! to! begin! working! together! on! a! new! research! area! with!
research!assistance!provided!by!their!MSc!student,!who!it!was!envisaged!would!
do!half!a!days!work!a!week!on!the!research!during!the!taught!part!of!the!course.!
The! student! has! a! number! of! advantages! from! the! scheme,! course! fees! and! a!
stipend,!and!the!opportunity!to!gain!research!experience!and!material!for!their!
dissertation.! All! recipients! of! MSc! funding! have! agreed! to! produce! reports!
covering!the!results!of!the!research.!
!
MSc Competition 2008
10! applications! were! received! for! the! programme! in! 2008.! The! three! top! rated!
projects!were!given!£6,000!of!funding!each.!
The!project!title!and!details!for!the!two!supervisors!for!the!winning!entries!to!the!
2008!competition!are!given!in!the!table!below.!
Table'5:'MSc'competition'winners'from'the'2008'competition'
1
2
3
Contribution of rooftop rainwater harvesting to the water supply-demand
balance in London - a case study.
Luiza Cintra Campos
Michael Batty
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Centre for Advanced Spatial
Analysis (CASA)
£6,000
2008
A New Hydride Fuel Cell Hybrid for Zero Emissions Vehicles
Dan Brett
Xiao Guo
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
£6,000
2008
£6,000
2008
Uncertainty in building performance simulations
Richard Chandler
Mike Davies
Statistical Science
Bartlett School of Graduate
Studies
£18,000
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
!
22!
!
MSc Competition 2009
5! applications! were! made! to! the! programme! in! 2009.! The! three! highest! rated!
projects!were!each!given!an!award!of!£6,000.!The!table!below!gives!the!project!
title! and! details! for! the! two! supervisors! for! the! winning! entries! to! the! 2009!
competition.!
Table'6:'MSc'competition'winners'from'the'2009'competition'
1
2
3
Negotiating local adaptive capacity - learning from the dynamics of urban
institutional and grassroots built-in resilience in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Adriana Allen
John Twigg
Development Planning Unit
Aon Benfield UCL Hazard
Research Centre
£6,000
2009
Automated estimation of cloud cover from thermal imagery
Lewis Griffin
Jan-Peter Muller
Computer Science
Space and Climate Physics
£6,000
2009
CO2 capture and conversion to a renewable fuel by means of
photocatalysis on a nanostructured catalyst
Junwang Tang
Zhengxiao Guo
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
£6,000
2009
£18,000
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
23!
!
Escalator Fund
Two!calls!for!escalator!funding!awards!were!made!during!the!course!of!Bridging!
the! Gaps,! the! first! in! July! 2009,! the! second! in! August! 2010.! Unlike! the! open!
programme!or!sandpits,!which!were!designed!to!initiate!new!collaborations!and!
novel! research! ideas,! the! escalator! fund! was! designed! to! allow! members! of!
successful! collaborations! to! take! their! work! further,! building! on! the! best!
collaborations.!!
Building!on!
successful!
partnerships!
Dissemination!
and!external!
funding!
• Grant!Writing!
Support!
• Conference!Fund!
• Escalator!Fund!
Initiating!
collaborations!!
• Open!programme!
• Sandpits!
• MSc!Competition!
!
Figure'8:'The'role'of'the'Escalator'Fund'in'the'Bridging'the'Gaps'"escalator"'model'
The! escalator! fund! was! only! open! to! researchers! who! had! been! successful! in!
previous! Bridging! the! Gaps! funding! opportunities.! Preference! was! be! given! to!
applications!that!clearly!showed!how!Bridging!the!Gaps!had!led!to!the!formation!
of!the!team!making!the!application,!and!applications!that!built!on!an!activity!that!
has!already!received!Bridging!the!Gaps!funding.!
The!tables!below!(Table!8!&!9)!show!details!for!the!successful!applicants!to!the!
Escalator!fund.!
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
24!
!
First Escalator Fund
!
Table'7:'Research'funded'under'the'first'Escalator'fund'
1
2
3
4
Novel Nanostructures for Water Purification & Treatment
Luiza Campos
Arokia Nathan
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
London Centre for
Nanotechnology
£8,000
2009
Enhanced laboratory experiments and field study for street-scale pollution
dispersion modelling
Serge Guillas
Liora Malki-Epshtein
Statistical Science
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
£6,000
2009
Adapting UK water resource systems to changing conditions - Building a
foundation for UCL-Environment Agency Collaboration
Julien Harou
Lazaros Papageorgiou
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Chemical Engineering
£3,000
2009
Children, Well-being and Disability: Re-visiting India
Alexandre Apsan Frediani
Jean Francois Trani
Development Planning Unit
Leonard Cheshire Disability and
Inclusive Development Centre
£3,000
2009
£20,000
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
25!
!
Second Escalator Fund
!
Table'8:'Research'funded'under'the'second'Escalator'fund'
1
Novel Nanostructures for Water Purification & Treatment (part two)
Luiza Campos
Arokia Nathan
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
London Centre for
Nanotechnology
£10,000
2010
2
A Feasibility Study of Integrating CO2 Capture and Light-Driven CO2
Conversion to a Fuel.
Junwang Tang
Xiao Guo
£10,000
2010
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
3
Development and Application of UCL’s open-source platform for modelling
urban resource networks
4
5
6
7
Julien Harou
Lazaros Papageorgiou
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Chemical Engineering
£10,000
2010
Justice in the Green
Pascale Hofmann
Muki Haklay
Development Planning Unit
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
£10,000
2010
Modelling Porous Materials as Chemical Reactors
Luca Mazzei
Matija Strlic
Chemical Engineering
Bartlett School of Graduate
Studies
£10,000
2010
Optimising the design, performance and use of electric, fuel cell and hybrid
vehicles (A new low carbon vehicle collaborative network for UCL)
Dan Brett
Xiao Guo
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
£5,000
2010
Calibration of CFD simulation of an urban street canyon using experimental
PIV observations
Liora Malki-Epshtein
Serge Guillas
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Statistical Science
£5,000
2010
£50,000
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
26!
!
Grant Writing Support
This!fund!provided!a!fund!to!help!a!pair!of!academics!write!a!crossQdisciplinary!
grant!application.!The!funding!was!used!to!pay!for!an!assistant!to!work!on!the!
grant!application!with!the!researchers.!
The!table!below!gives!details!for!all!the!successful!grant!writing!support!
applications.!
Table'9:'Grant'application'titles'supported'by'the'Grant'Writing'Scheme'
1
Socio-technical Change for Sustainable Urban Water Use
Sarah Bell
Robert Lowe
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
UCL Energy Institute
£3,000
2
Climate change and the burden of water-related disease: evidence from
urban areas of East Africa
Richard Taylor
David McCoy
£3,000
Geography
Institute of Child Health
3
Rethinking urban sustainability: new approaches to the re-use of formerly
industrial spaces
4
Quentin Stevens
Matthew Gandy
Bartlett School of Planning
Geography
£3,000
European Network on Near-shore Tsunamis
Serge Guillas
William J. McGuire
Statistical Science
Earth Sciences
£3,000
£12,000
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
!
27!
!
Conference Fund
Previous!recipients!of!Bridging!the!Gaps!funding!were!invited!to!apply!for!up!to!
£2,000!for!to!attend!a!conference!that!relates!to!crossQdisciplinary!work!in!
sustainable!urban!spaces.!Applicants!were!not!required!to!make!a!presentation,!
although!most!did,!but!the!conference!had!to!be!related!to!their!crossQ
disciplinary!work.!
The!table!below!shows!all!the!successful!applicants!for!funding!under!the!
Bridging!the!Gaps!Conference!Fund.!
Table'10:'Applications'to'disseminate'Bridging'the'Gaps'funded'work'
1
219th Electrochemical Society Meeting
Russell Binions
Chemistry
2
Workshop on Urine Diverting Toilets
Sarah Bell
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
3
£230.43
15th International Congress of Photosynthesis
Alexandra Olaya-Castro
Physics and Astronomy
5
£1,350
£2,000
International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software
Julien Harou
Civil, Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
6
12th International Building Performance Simulation Conference
Serge Guillas
Statistical Science
7
£1,157.99
£2,000
Human Rights and Human Development
Alexandre Apsan Frediani
Development Planning Unit
£2,000
£!8,738.42
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
28!
!
Seminar Funding
This! call! provided! funding! to! cover! the! costs! of! arranging! interdisciplinary!
seminar.! Funding! was! split! between! funding! for! a! series! of! interdisciplinary!
seminars!by!the!Environment!Institute!and!an!open!call!for!seminar!funding.!
Megalopolis series
The! Environment! Institute! at! UCL! hosted! a! series! of! seminars! that! covered! the!
sustainability!challenges!faced!by!the!emergence!of!extremely!large!urban!areas!
across! the! world.! These! regions! are! so! large,! and! have! such! a! complex!
relationship! the! surrounding! urban! region! that! the! term! city! no! longer! seems!
sufficient.! Megalopolis! is! one! term! that! is! used! to! reflect! this! qualitative!
difference.!‘Sustainability!and!the!Megalopolis:!Facing!the!Urban!Realities!of!the!
21st! century’! consisted! of! a! series! of! 6! themed! seminars,! each! seminar! began!
with! informal! lunchtime! discussion,! followed! by! presentations! given! by! invited!
speakers,!and!then!a!more!detailed!discussion!session!focusing!on!the!content!of!
the!presentations.!
The!seminars!have!addressed!a!number!of!pressing!questions:!Can!a!megalopolis!
ever!be!sustainable?!How!can!they!be!made!more!sustainable?!Are!megalopolises!
particularly! vulnerable! to! climate! change! and! other! 21st! century! hazards?! How!
can! they! be! made! more! resilient?! Do! they! have! a! particular! role! to! play! in!
accentuating! or! mitigating! climate! change?! How! big! do! they! get! before! they!
become!unsustainable?!!What!breaks!down!as!size!increases?!!
The!topics!covered!by!the!six!seminars!are!given!below:!
Climate'change'and'the'megalopolis'
Prof.!Sir!Alan!Wilson!(Centre!for!Advanced!Spatial!Analysis)!
Prof.!Mark!Maslin!(Geography)!
Prof.!Michael!Davies!(Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies)!
Prof.!Michael!Batty!(Centre!for!Advanced!Spatial!Analysis)!
Transport,'energy'and'water'infrastructure,'sustainability'and'the'
megalopolises'
Dr!Sarah!Bell!(Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering)!
Prof.!Tadj!Oreszczyn!(Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies)!
Prof.!Roger!Mackett!(Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering)!
Dr!Adrianna!Allen!and!Dr.!Julio!Davila!Silva!(Development!Planning!Unit)!
Health,'climate'change'and'the'megalopolis'
Dr!David!Satterthwaite!(Development!Planning!Unit)!
Dr!KaQMan!Lai!(Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering)!
Dr!Ben!Croxford!(Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies)!
Security,'resilience'and'the'megalopolis'
Prof.!Gloria!Laycock!(Jill!Dando!Institute!of!Crime!Science)!
Prof.!David!Crichton!(Benfield!UCL!Hazard!Research!Centre)!
Dr!Mark!Pelling!(Kings!College!London!Department!of!Geography)'
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
29!
!
Sustainability,'society'and'culture'in'the'megalopolis'
Prof.!Matthew!Gandy!(Geography)!
Dr!Paolo!Favero!(Anthropology)!
Dr!Claire!Thomson!(Scandinavian!Studies)!
Policy'frameworks'for'megalopolises:'economics,'planning'and'governance'
Prof.!Alan!Penn!(Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies)!
Prof.!Stephen!Smith!(Economics)!
Prof.!Mark!TewdwrQJones!(Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies)!
Dr!Colin!Provost!(School!of!Public!Policy)!
The!seminars!brought!together!experts!from!across!UCL!to!address!the!problem!
of! sustainability! and! the! megalopolis,! and! the! results! of! the! discussions! have!
been!brought!together!in!a!report!which!can!be!found!on!the!UCL!Environment!
website!at!http://www.ucl.ac.uk/environmentQinstitute/research/megalopolis!.!
Open call for seminars
The Climate and Uncertainty Symposium
The! open! call! for! seminars! funded! one! event:! The! Climate! and! Uncertainty!
Symposium!on!the!16th!of!February!2009.!A!wide!spectrum!of!UCL!researchers!
discussed!the!issues!raised!by!uncertainty!in!climate!predictions.!!
Richard!Chandler!(Statistical!Science)!
Mike!Davey!(Mathematics)!
Mark!Maslin!(Environment!Institute)!
Tadj!Oreszczyn!(Bartlett!School)!
Joanne!Scott!(Laws)!
Martin!Todd!(Geography)!
The! event! included! the! opportunity! to! discuss! the! issues! of! uncertainty! at! all!
levels!and!the!impact!of!those!uncertainties!on!our!ability!to!accurately!forecast!
the! effects! of! climate! change! on! urban! and! natural! systems,! human! health! and!
public!policy.!
The!presentations!included!hydrology!and!aquatic!systems,!climate!change!and!
the!built!environment,!health!impacts!of!climate!change,!developments!in!climate!
models,! and! statistical! methods! and! downscaling.! The! presentations! were!
followed!by!discussion!and!a!poster!session.!
Table'11:'Successful'applications'to'the'Seminar'Funding'Programme'
1
2
Sustainability and the Megalopolis: Facing the Urban Realities of the 21st
century
Marianne Knight
Yvonne Rydin
UCL Environment Institute
Bartlett
£6,000
2008
£922
2009
Climate and Uncertainty Symposium
Julien Harou
Richard Chandler
Civil Environmental and
Geomatic Engineering
Statistical Science
£6,922
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
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!
Visiting Scholar
The! Visiting! Scholar! fund! was! made! available! so! that! academics! at! UCL! could!
suggest!an!eminent!person!from!outside!the!university!who!could!contribute!to!
the! research! community! and! stimulate! crossQdisciplinary! discussion! and!
research!activity.!
Table'12:'The'successful'application'to'the'Staff'Exchange'Programme'
Encounters with Development Planning
The Inaugural Professor Sir Peter Hall Lecture
Caren Levy
Matthew Carmona
Development Planning Unit
Bartlett School of Planning
£3,000
2009
£3,000
!
The!Visiting!Scholar!award!was!used!to!contribute!£3,000!towards!the!cost!of!a!
visit! by! Professor! John! Friedmann.! The! request! for! funding! was! originally!
submitted! as! an! application! under! the! Seminar! Funding! stream! of! Bridging! the!
Gaps,! from! Caren! Levy! (Development! Planning! Unit)! and! Matthew! Carmona!
(Bartlett!School!of!Planning).!!
Professor! Friedmann! was! invited! to! give! the! inaugural! Professor! Sir! Peter! Hall!
Annual! Lecture,! ‘Encounters! with! Development! Planning'.! During! his! stay!
Professor!Friedmann!also!gave!a!research!seminar!entitled!‘Varieties!of!Planning!
Experience:! Towards! A! Globalised! Planning! Culture?’.! Both! events! provided! a!
valuable! opportunity! for! the! UCL! community! to! explore! Professor! Friedman’s!
contribution!to!the!contemporary!debates!on!sustainability.!
Apart! from! providing! two! high! quality! events! relating! to! sustainable! urban!
spaces! for! the! UCL! community,! the! applicants! felt! that! this! “major! externallyQ
facing!event”!would!lead!to!further!collaborations!between!the!two!departments.!
The! Bridging! the! Gaps! team! was! convinced! of! the! value! of! a! visit! by! Professor!
Friedmann,! one! of! the! world’s! preQeminent! planning! theorists,! and! suggested!
that!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!Visiting!Scholar!fund!should!be!used!to!part!fund!his!
visit,! the! award! covered! just! over! half! of! the! £5,827! needed! to! bring! Professor!
Friedmann!to!the!UK!and!to!arrange!the!lecture!and!research!seminar.!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
!
31!
!
Website
During!the!course!of!the!programme!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!website!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg!provided!a!central!location!for!information!and!resources!for!
the!programme!team!members,!our!departmental!champions!and!anyone!who!
was!interested!in!making!an!application!for!funding.!!
All!the!information!and!application!forms!for!our!funding!calls!were!placed!on!
the!website,!as!well!as!details!of!our!eligibility!criteria!and!contact!details!for!the!
project!team.!
!
Figure'9:'Front'page'of'the'Bridging'the'Gaps'website'
During!the!course!of!the!programme!the!website!was!visited!over!7,100!times!
with!over!24,000!page!views.!The!website!shows!a!strong!growth!in!both!new!
and!returning!visitors,!and!overall!the!site!was!viewed!by!over!1,600!absolutely!
unique!visitors.!
The!website!has!been!redeveloped!as!a!legacy!site,!featuring!details!of!the!funded!
work.!!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
32!
!
Events
Launch event
The! Bridging! the! Gaps! Programme! was! officially! launched! on! the! 25th! of! June!
2008.!Over!80!people!registered!interest!in!the!event,!and!we!had!a!good!turnout!
from!those!who!registered.!The!launch!featured!talks!from!Sarah!Bell!(Principal!
Investigator! for! the! programme),! David! Price! (Vice! Provost! for! Research)! and!
Jonathon! Porritt! coQfounder! of! Forum! for! the! Future.! UCL’s! Provost,! Malcolm!
Grant,! opened! the! event,! and! was! on! hand! to! chair! the! discussion! after! the!
presentations.!
The!talks!were!followed!by!a!reception!giving!all!the!attendees!an!opportunity!to!
discuss! research! ideas! and! to! start! building! interdisciplinary! links.! The! event!
was!well!received!and!generated!a!great!deal!of!discussion!during!the!reception!
about!the!possibilities!for!interdisciplinary!research!at!UCL.!
Pictures! from! the! event! are! available! on! the! Bridging! the! Gaps! website! at!
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/btg/events_launch_pictures.html!
A!video!from!the!event!is!available!on!iTunesU:!
http://itunes.apple.com/itunesQu/launchingQbridgingQgapsQ
at/id390417177#ls=1!
!
First Year Review
A!review!was!held!after!the!first!year!featuring!presentations!and!posters!from!
researchers!funded!by!Bridging!the!Gaps,!which!are!available!on!the!Bridging!the!
Gaps!website!at!http://www.ucl.ac.uk/btg/firstyearreview.html!
!!
!!
!
Figure'10:'Examples'of'posters'from'the'first'year'review'
!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
33!
!
Final Event
A!final!event!was!held!in!the!February!before!the!programme!finished.!As!well!as!
presentations! and! poster! from! Bridging! the! Gaps! participants,! the! final! event!
featured!talks!from!Muki!Haklay!(CoQInvestigator!on!the!project),!James!Paskins!
(Programme!Manager),!David!Price!(Vice!Provost!for!Research)!and!Paul!Finch,!
Chair!of!CABE!(the!Commission!for!the!Built!Environment).!
Details!of!the!event!together!with!posters!and!presentations!from!the!event!can!
be!found!at!http://www.ucl.ac.uk/btg/FinalEvent.html!.!
!
Figure'11:'Julien'Harou's'presentation'at'the'final'event'
'
Figure'12:'Liora'Malki?Epshtein's'Presentation'at'the'Final'Event'
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
34!
!
Champions network
One!of!the!ways!that!the!programme!encouraged!interdisciplinary!collaboration!
was! through! a! network! of! departmental! champions.! The! champions! acted! as! a!
first! point! of! call! within! a! department! for! anyone! interested! in! research!
collaborations!and!funding!opportunities!from!Bridging!the!Gaps.!We!asked!for!
people!who!were!well!known!within!their!departments!and!who!had!an!interest!
in!urban!sustainability!and!interdisciplinary!collaboration.!One!of!the!roles!that!
the! champions! fulfilled! was! keeping! the! staff! in! their! departments! up! to! date!
with!the!funding!opportunities!available!from!the!Bridging!the!Gaps!programme.!
!
Figure'13:'A'list'of'champions'was'available'to'anyone'with'a'UCL'username'and'password'
All! champions! were! listed! on! our! website,! in! a! dedicated! section! accessible! to!
anyone!with!a!UCL!username!and!password.!Champions!were!paid!£500!for!each!
full! year! they! acted! as! champions,! provided! that! they! promoted! Bridging! the!
Gaps!and!attended!the!majority!of!Champion’s!Events,!described!below.!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
35!
!
Champions’ Events
Champions!were!also!expected!to!attend!the!majority!of!champions’!events.!Most!
of!these!visits!have!consisted!of!a!tour!of!a!UCL!facility,!and!a!description!of!the!
research! carried! out! there,! which! often! includes! an! overview! of! the! specialist!
equipment!used!by!the!research!groups.!
The! visits! have! been! enjoyable! and! interesting! experiences! for! everyone!
involved,!and!proved!to!be!an!effective!way!to!inform!the!champions!about!the!
equipment!and!the!research!groups!available!across!UCL.!!
As! well! as! advertising! the! research! and! facilities! available! in! different! UCL!
departments,! the! champions’! events! kept! a! group! of! early! career! researchers!
from!different!departments!in!contact!over!the!course!of!the!programme.!
!
Figure'14: One'of'the'champions'experiencing'
an'immersive'3D'environment'in'the'Computer'
Science'CAVE''
Figure'15:'Demonstration'of'a'model'to'study'
ballast'tank'flushing'in'the'Pat'Kemp'Fluids'
Laboratory'
!
Figure'16:'Testing'a'catalyst'in'the'Centre'for'CO2'Technology,'Chemical'Engineering'
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
36!
!
The!following!champions’!events!were!held!over!the!course!of!the!programme:'!
Bartlett!Graduate'Studies'25!July!2008'
3D!colour!printing,!lighting!simulator!for!architectural!models!and!large!
environmental!chambers!that!control!humidity!and!temperature.'
Computer'Science!30!October!2008!
Pollution!monitoring!and!visualisation.!CAVE!demonstration:!a!3D!virtual!
environment,!featuring!a!tour!of!the!South!Bank!and!a!3D!scan!of!a!statue.!!
Chorley'Institute!(including!the!Christmas!Party)!4!December!2008!
3D!colour!scanner!used!for!digital!archiving!and!digital!repatriation!of!
museum!objects,!extensive!GIS!capabilities!and!geographical!datasets.!
CEGE'Fluids!Lab'16!January!2009!
Pat!Kemp!Fluids!Laboratory:!Water!tanks,!flumes,!and!scale!and!fullQsize!
models,!used!to!research!erosion,!tsunamis!and!ship!ballast!flushing.!
CEGE'PAMELA'13!February!2009!
Adjustable!pavement,!with!sophisticated!lighting!and!sound!systems,!used!
to!research!transport,!accessibility!and!the!built!environment.!
Ear'Institute!20!March!2009!
Tour!of!the!facilities!including!laser!Doppler!vibrometry,!magneto!
encephalograph!and!an!anechoic!chamber.!
Physics!29!May!2009!
Research!Computing,!a!very!powerful!computer!cluster,!and!the!Optical!
Science!Lab!which!produces!large!optical!components!to!a!high!tolerance.!
Mullard'Space'Science'Laboratory'15!July!2009!
Presentation!about!how!MSSL!produces!satellites,!satellite!components!and!
impactors!with!a!very!low!chance!of!failure.!
Development'and'Planning'Unit!25th!October!2009!
Presentations!about!the!DPU’s!research!into!development!policy!and!
planning!in!Africa,!Asia,!the!Middle!East!and!Latin!America.!
Champions'Christmas'Party'9th!December!2009!
Drinks!and!networking!for!champions!and!their!guests.!
London'Centre'for'Nanotechnology'4!May!2010!
Tour!of!the!vibration!free!facility!housing!equipment!that!can!probe!and!
build!nanoscale!structures.!
Biochemical'Engineering'25!May!2010!
Tour!of!the!advanced!facilities!for!research!into!the!manufacturing!
processes!for!biochemical!products,!including!medical!drugs.!
Healthy'Infrastructure'Research'Centre!5!November!2010!
Facility!to!test!the!effects!of!various!aerosols!in!different!environmental!
conditions,!and!to!test!air!for!a!wide!variety!of!pathogens.!!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
!
37!
!
The Bridging the Gaps Team
Principal Investigator
Dr!Sarah!Bell!
Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering!
Co-Investigators
Dr!Ben!Croxford!
The!Bartlett!School!of!Graduate!Studies!
Dr!Muki!Haklay!
Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering!
Dr!Simon!Julier!
Computer!Science!
Programme Manager
James!Paskins!
Civil,!Environmental!and!Geomatic!Engineering!
!
Contacting Bridging the Gaps
James!Paskins!
Bridging!the!Gaps!Programme!Manager!
Postal Address:
Chadwick!Building!
University!College!London!
Gower!Street!
London!
WC1E!6BT!
email:
j.paskins@ucl.ac.uk!
Telephone:
020!7679!0661!
Website
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg/!
!
www.ucl.ac.uk/btg
38!